Speakeasy Scarface Imperial Stout
Speakeasy Ales and Lagers is happy to introduce Scarface Imperial Stout. A complicated brew – behind its fiercely black exterior is a mélange of subtly different roasted malt flavors that add nuance and depth to a style of beer that is too often heavy and one dimensional. To add a bit of roundness to the flavor we diverted about 20% of the brew into our Heaven Hill bourbon barrels, one of which we topped up with cacao nibs from our friends at local San Francisco organic chocolate makers, TCHO, for a period of oak-aging before blending it back into the primary batch.This is a special beer that reveals a little something different about itself every sip.
Malts: American 2-row, Belgian Dark Caramel, French Coffee Malt, Chilean Black Malt and English Roasted Barley
Hops: Columbus
Alcohol by Volume: 9.5%
70 IBUs
Malts: American 2-row, Belgian Dark Caramel, French Coffee Malt, Chilean Black Malt and English Roasted Barley
Hops: Columbus
Alcohol by Volume: 9.5%
70 IBUs
3.7
164 reviews
San Francisco, United States
Community reviews
roasty, coffee, licorice, soy sauce, grass, ABV well integrated, more dry and understated than is usual for the style.
Black colour, big tan head, lacing.
Big roastiness, salty, lightly sweet for the style, noticable bite, ABV evident, bit of bourbon coming through in the finish.
Medium/fullbodied, average carbonation, sticky feel, salty finish.
Not top of the class, still enjoyable.
On tap @ 3Små Rum. Very dark brown with a medium tan head. Malty and chocolate tones. Malt, Chocolate, coffee and bitterness. Full body with a long bitter sweet finish.
Overall: Coffee, black fruits, bitter cocoa.
Note: On-tap at De Klomp. Reviewed 2016-03-22.
Aroma caramel, chocolate, coffee, roasty, vanilla,
Appearance black, tan foam,
Taste medium sweetness, lightly bitter,
Palate medium body, average carbonation,
Overall a little on the thin side as far as moth feel. I get a lot of roasted notes with a light bitter finish. The 9.5% is well hidden making it very drinkable. I would suggest this beer to a friend who is just getting into stouts.
Black with a thin tan head. The aroma is roast malt with chocolate and coffee. The flavor follows with a bit of a burn going down.
Opaque black pour, finger of tan head. Usual stout aroma, chocolate, roast, coffee. In the taste though, the chocolate really comes through most strongly. Quite a nice stout.
(650ml bottle @ VilleValla Pub, Linköping, Jan 22 2016) Pours black with a moderate beige head and lace. Aroma of lots of roasty malts, some brewed coffee and dark chocolate, licorice, soy and a bit of vanilla, maybe a light oak hint. Palate is fairly dry and very roasted with lots of grains, a bit of cacao and coffee, licorice, light vanilla, not really much bourbon. Finish is pretty dry with roasted grains and some drying oak. Medium bodied, average carb, no alcohol. This is a perfectly decent imperial stout, but I didn’t think the bourbon barrel really came through and there wasn’t much to make it stand out.
Aroma is roasted malts, caramel, toffee and slight tart. Some slight coffee notes. Taste is deep roasted malts, toffee, and coffee. Finished with tart and light clove. Appearance is black with a thin pearl head that retains fairly well.
På fat ett känt ölställe på andra Långgatan. Doftar fan så mycket choklad och lite alkohol slår igenom. Smakar? Jo du. Extremt fyllig Stout med 100% choklad i eftersmaken. Jo faktiskt liiite bryggkaffe etiopiskt sådant med lite syra finns där också efter en stund. Jepp
Cocoa and bitterness overpowering in this one. I was hoping for something a bit more complex.
Pitch black color. Low carbonation. Lots of roasted malt and very bitter but lacks a bit of complexity. A bit boozy finish.
Rich and heavy with tons of chocolate and a bitter, robust roasted malt. Pours a completely opaque black with a thin tan head. Nice aroma of light vanilla, liquorice and tons of cocoa. Smooth and heavy with a good balance.
650ml bottle pours black in color with a generous light brown head that leaves some nice lacing on the glass. Aroma is roasted grains and chocolate with hints of coffee and bourbon. Taste is a chocolate malty sweetness with a roasted grain and citrus hop bitterness. Medium bodied with good carbonation. Overall, this is one of the most well balanced brews that I have tried in this category. Nothing is overpowering and everything just fits together well and I recommend anyone who can try this, please do so. You won’t be disappointed.
Black pour with a soft beige creamy head and sticky lacing ..... Aroma of dark cocoa, roasted malts and creamy coffee .... Taste is of roasted coffee, roasted malts, dark cocoa, dry very dry and oaky .... Maybe some sweet bourbon notes way late in this beer with a finish of dry roasted malts and cocoa ..... Dry brew and soft but bitter body.... Tasty brew
22oz bottle. Poured a dark brown with an off white head. Chocolate, roast, and some coffee. Alcohol content well hidden. Blah for an Impy.
Ruby brown/black with a centimeter of camel colored head. Aroma is roasty malt, with some mild chocolate notes. Taste is more chocolatey, and smooth throughout, with great balance for style, without a lot of bitterness or apparent alcohol. $6/22oz
Big chewy flavor but a little smallish in body. Smoke and toast and chocolate and coffee. Light raisin. A good not great impy stout.
Bottle. Pours a dark brown with medium beige head that lasts. The aroma is a strong roast and dark chocolate. Medium mouth, cocoa, dark chocolate, roast, bitter finish, very good.
Re-rating, didn’t realize christpuncher didn’t log out in my computer. Black thick pour with tan ring of foamy head. Poured from 22oz bottle at home from Blackwells. The aroma is cocoa dominant and also malty with coffee. Taste is similar - coffee and cocoa domaniate, touches of cream and milk. Malty and a little dry for the palette. Overall very enjoyable.
Black thick pour with tan ring of foamy head. Poured from 22oz bottle at home from Blackwells. The aroma is cocoa dominant and also malty with coffee. Taste is similar - coffee and cocoa domaniate, touches of cream and milk. Malty and a little dry for the palette. Overall very enjoyable.
Growler courtesy of Ernesto. Black/Brown pour into a tulip with beige head. Aroma is coffee, cocoa, light raisin, and toffee. Taste is nice smooth and rich with very light vanilla or bourbon on the back end. Good stuff.
Seriously overrated., will never have again, almost no flavor, a waste of money and time.
A nice imperial stout. Pours an inky brown/ black with little head. Smells of vanilla, coffee and caramel. Taste has lots of vanilla and caramel, with a bitter coffee finish. Had on tap at the brewery for Beer Week.
Pours a solid black with a tan head and lots of lacing. It has a rich aroma of tobacco, smokey malt and some chocolate. The flavor is smokey, dark malt up front with plenty of chocolate over a heavy body.
Pours black with a khaki head. Rich chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, oak and vanilla aroma. Dark chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, soy sauce, licorice, cream and alcohol flavors. Full body and average carbonation. Chocolate, roasted malt and slight alcohol warmth finish.
Key is to let this warm up a bit, it’s pretty creamy and delicious at the right temp. Pretty much a straight up the middle American imperial stout, well executed. Like an old Rasputin, which is a high compliment, but not quite as awesome.
Bottle... Pours nearly black with a small, creamy, beige head. The flavor is a robust assortment of dark chocolate, Cuban espresso, deeply roasted malts and toasted tree nuts. Full-bodied with a 2%-milk mouthfeel and modest carbonation. The flavor supplies a truckload of medium-bitter scorched malts and charcoal. Lengthy, burnt, bitter finish. Bottle courtesy of richiesd!
Bottle. Nice dark chocolate aroma up front with some nice earthyness and smoke undertones. Good looking, full body and a long finish. This beer offers a nice pint but isn’t anything particularly special.
Appearance: dark with a nice espresso foam colored head that retains rather well & foams up with a swirl of the glass
Aroma: chocolate witha slight hint of anise
Flavor: a definite chocolate & maltiness combines for the makings of a fine beer out of SF
Palate: full & thick with a long chocolate finish that lingers
I’ve only had a few different beers from Speakeasy even though my wife is from the Bay Area... they just weren’t a brewery that we went out of our way to try too often, but finding this imperial stout would have me looking more into their other styles to try.
This one those beers. You know, its good, but I still have half a bottle in the fridge and the prospect of finishing it isn’t exactly thrilling. At any rate it’s a well made imperial stout. I don’t think I need to describe it.